You Should Be Writing Every Day.

You Should Be Writing Every Day. Here's Why (and How to Do It) Take the struggle out of it.

1. Have your supplies at the ready.

Have a doc or email always open.  Have Post-Its or sticky note apps, brain dump Google Docs, a journal, a notepad--always around.

If you have your tools…you can take 5 seconds to jot a thought down. Don't assume you'll get back to it later. Generally, you won't.

2. Accept that small is OK. 

You might not want to write unless you feel like you can get a lot of quantity out.

Murder this idea without mercy. 

I often turn to sprints instead. Even one line can be incredibly profound or finally crystalize a concept in your head.  A little at a time adds up.  You can even write a phrase rather than a sentence.  

3. Make an appointment.

If you want to guarantee you get something on paper, even five minutes is fine. But treat it as concrete... a must-do in your routine.  

Or make a situational appointment, such as always pulling out your notebook as you wait for a meeting to start. 

4. Give up the judgment.

Judgment happens after you write as part of the editorial process.  Just keep your fingers moving for however long your appointment is--no cross-outs of any kind allowed. 

5. Set up a framework.

I don't believe you have to outline everything. But if you have something that's complicated to write or that's just a mess, build the frame first. Don't describe. Don't give details. But get your points in order. 

6. Find a buddy, join a group or get online.

You know the studies that show having a buddy improves diet and exercise results, right? The same can be true for writing. If you can't find a buddy, find places online to post. Even Twitter can be motivating.

7. Read.

The more you read, the more information you have--and the more exposure you have to different techniques and voices. Devour whatever texts you can so you have something to draw on and can do so with less effort, and you can take five minutes after reading something to jot down your initial reactions so you remember more.